LAD #2 John Peter Zenger

1. Who was John Peter Zenger?

John Peter Zenger was a newspaper printer and the publisher of the "New York Weekly JOURNAL" which he used to publish propaganda against the New York Governor, William Cosby. He was then jailed and charged with libel and was defended by A. Hamilton during his trial.

2. What was the controversy over his charges?

The controversy was that the things he said were rude and possibly unnecessary about the Governor, but the things he was saying were also true.  In his trial, it was argued that he was wrong in his actions, even though the things he said were true because, the act of printing what he did was against the law at the time. In the end he was found not guilty and the charges were dropped.

3. What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?

The Zenger case helped create freedom of the press where people are able to say whatever criticism they want without being jailed or tried for libel. It also set a precedent where the jury is able to nullify a judge's decision by reaching a majority vote.

4. What is the lasting significance of his trial?

The outcome of the case impacted the colonies and caused resentment towards libel prosecutions. Also, freedom of the press became very big and was later put into the Bill of Rights to make sure this right could not be taken away from the people.

Pictures:

I chose a picture of the journal where Zeneger published his writings and I also chose a picture of Colin Kaepernick because he is a football player who has started a protest against oppression and equality for all people. These are related because Colin believes that people should not be oppressed and should be given fair and equal rights like Zenger believes. They both want to be able to speak freely, but are both being held back by in Zenger's case, a lawsuit, and in Colin's case his fans or people who believe what he is saying is foolish or wrong. Both of these people need to fight for their opinions and a chance to voice what they have to say, but they both face obstacles that prevent them from being able to do so.